Stool Tests

     Stool (or feces) is usually thought of as nothing but waste — something to quickly flush away. But bowel movements can provide doctors with valuable information as to what's wrong when a child has a problem in the stomach, intestines, or another part of the gastrointestinal system.
A doctor may order a stool collection to test for a variety of possible conditions, including:

• allergy or inflammation in the body, such as part of the evaluation of milk protein allergy in infants
• infection, as caused by some types of bacteria, viruses, or parasites that invade the gastrointestinal system
• digestive problems, such as the malabsorption of certain sugars, fats, or nutrients
• bleeding inside of the gastrointestinal tract
  

The most common reason to test stool is to determine whether a type of bacteria or parasite may be infecting the intestines. Many microscopic organisms living in the intestines are necessary for normal digestion. If the intestines become infected with harmful bacteria or parasites, though, it can cause problems like certain types of bloody diarrhea, and testing stool can help find the cause.
Stool samples are also sometimes analyzed for what they contain; for instance, examining the fat content. Normally, fat is completely absorbed from the intestine, and the stool contains virtually no fat. In certain types of digestive disorders, however, fat is incompletely absorbed and remains in the stool.